FSSD Students Soar High on TNReady

With the release of the 2019 TNReady scores, the Franklin Special School District has again demonstrated that its students are flying high, achieving a composite score of 5, the highest that can be earned. In its accountability system, the Tennessee Department of Education has designated the FSSD as Advancing. When broken into the two reported categories of achievement and subgroup success, the district received “exemplary” in achievement and “advancing” in the subgroup pathway, resulting in the overall designation of Advancing.

The FSSD’s overall composite score, which includes ELA/Literacy, Math, and Social Studies, remained at the highest level of 5. Numeracy was the most improved category, moving from a level 1 to a level 5. Social

studies was also a bright spot, remaining at the top level of 5. Literacy was the lowest scored subject, falling from a 5 to a 1 over the previous year. The percentage of students achieving proficiency in literacy was maintained, however, the fall represents a drop in overall growth. The district has placed a high priority on ELA/Literacy by defining it as one the four main goals of the District Strategic Plan, Reach 2024.

FSSD Director of Schools Dr. David Snowden acknowledged that while the fall of literacy is an area of concern, there is much for the district to celebrate. The following are district highlights based on the reporting categories:

The district excelled in the category of Chronically Absent Students, scoring at the highest level of 4. One of the four main elements of school designations, Chronically Absent Students, in the FSSD was reduced from 4.8% in 2018 to 3.8% in 2019 in all grades through targeted support and truancy interventions.

Algebra 1 proficiency increased 10% over last year, going from 78.7% to 88.6%.

Math proficiency in all tested grades (3-8) improved from 56.3% to 62.3%, a 6% increase.

Social Studies (grades 3-8) proficiency percentage increased from 57.4 to 65.1, an overall jump of 8%.

Highlights by grade and subject area include:

Two grade levels (3 and 6) increased proficiency in literacy from 2018 to 2019.

All grades improved in math over last year, with the most significant being 5th grade, which went from 69.7% to 79.4% proficient, and sixth grade, with an 11.3% jump, going from 57.4% to 68.7% proficient.

In social studies, grades 6-8 were tested, with the grade band improving nearly 8% over last year. Sixth grade showed the largest improvement in proficiency, going from 48.1% in 2018 to 61.4% in 2019.

At the school level, we are proud to announce that 50% of FSSD schools received Reward status:

“As I relayed to the leadership team, there are many areas to celebrate with this release of data. I am extremely proud of the dedicated work and support that our teachers provide daily to students of all ability levels,” Snowden said. “This data reflects many of those successes. There are some areas to improve and we will spend the next few weeks analyzing the data more deeply to determine appropriate next steps at the school and district levels. We remain determined to meet the needs of every student and to provide the teachers with all of the support and resources that they need.”